A candidate for governor in North Carolina has thrown their support behind a $300 million initiative aimed at implementing fentanyl detection systems for vehicles entering the United States from Mexico.
North Carolina’s Attorney General, Josh Stein, a Democrat, highlighted that 95% of fentanyl seized at the border comes through personal vehicles.
The Biden administration recently announced plans to provide 123 new large-scale drive-through drug detection machines, capable of scanning significantly more vehicles at border crossings.
Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, introduced a bill last week to deploy these already acquired scanners, which are currently sitting unused in warehouses due to a lack of funding for installation.
According to Ossoff’s office, the technology would not affect fentanyl smuggling by individuals crossing the border illegally at non-designated points of entry.
The exact number of individuals crossing illegally is unknown, but Border Patrol reported 249,785 arrests on the Mexican border in December, marking a 31% increase from November and a 13% increase from December 2022, the previous record high.
Stein emphasized in a press release that U.S. Customs and Border Control possesses the necessary equipment for fentanyl detection but lacks the funds required for installation. His office has reached out to Congressional leaders, urging them to provide the additional funding needed.
The proposed technology, known as Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII), enables Customs and Border Control to x-ray a greater number of cars and trucks using large-scale drive-through screening systems at border crossings.
